


4B: The Crystalline Cave

by MidNightWriter24



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26399878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidNightWriter24/pseuds/MidNightWriter24
Summary: The cave with weird crystal formations.*PLEASE READ LITTLE NICO? FIRST*
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	4B: The Crystalline Cave

_ Will’s POV _

Where could Nico be? Last time he snuck off, we found him behind the couch in the meeting room. Could he have crawled off somewhere for a nap? Everyone was still searching, but we were beginning to lose hope. I thought back to where I searched last time. Did I forget to check anywhere? Oh! The cave with all the weird crystalline formations! I rushed out of Cabin Seven instantly. How could I have forgotten that?!

After making my way through the woods down to the lake, I peered around for the fallen tree. After the storm a couple of nights ago, there were a lot of fallen trees. Which one? The dryads were hefting trees back upright and repairing broken branches to help the forest look nicer again. I knew that the fallen tree by the entrance was partially petrified, and didn’t have a dryad to take care of it. I stood back and watched the activities for a bit and realized that the dryads were avoiding one specific area. 

Walking over to the tree they avoided, I noticed right away that it was partially petrified. Now, to uncover the entrance. Nico had gotten a woven screen of plant matter from one of the Demeter campers, after he got tired of the hellhounds using it as a birthing den. Seriously, every fall is hellhound birthing season, and the mama hellhounds start looking for a good place to give birth. They really seem to like that cave, probably because it was saturated in Underworld power from Nico and his dad, Hades, visiting it all the time. Stooping down, I sifted through the dirt and muck. I caught the edge of the net and pulled upwards. It came free easily, streaming watery plants and muck in its wake. 

Inside the mouth of the cave, I saw a couple of small muddy footprints. Little Nico must be in here somewhere! They seemed to lead deeper into the cave, down the passageway to the left. That was odd, as the passage to the right was lit with flickering lights from within. Voices echoed distantly down the passageway as well. I wonder who they were coming from? No matter, I had to find Nico. 

I turned to the left and headed down the sloping tunnel. It seemed to lead down deeper into the earth, and grew progressively cooler. After a couple minutes, I saw the entrance to a larger cavern up ahead, glowing with a soft white light. Cautiously I peered around the corner, ready for anything. 

Inside was a wonderland of crystals, reflecting the faint light from a crack in the ceiling all around the room. They sent glints of purple, amber, green, gold, and pink light throughout the room. Adding to the effect, delicate crystals grew in mesmerizing patterns all over the walls, even spilling in colorful waterfalls down from the ceiling. Larger formations of what was probably quartz grew up from the floor, and were decorated with strings of crystal beads in different colors. How had Nico found this beautiful place?

I spotted a head of messy black hair over in the corner. Edging over to him, I sat down beside the small boy. Nico seemed to be deep in concentration, cupping his hands over a spot on the floor. When he raised his hands, I saw a small, round pink crystal rising out of the rock. It grew to the size of about a grapefruit, before stopping and golden veins wove around it. When the gold stopped flowing, the crystal was surrounded by a latticework of golden chains with a hook on one end, like a hanging light. After opening his eyes, Nico detached the ball from the floor. 

Turning to me, he asked “Will! Can you hang this up here, please please please?” 

“Sure buddy. What should I hang it from though?” I looked up, and saw a small stalactite with a small golden hook on the end. “Up there?”

“Yeah!’’ He beamed at me.

Gods, I didn’t know that he could do any of that. Creating crystals, working with precious metals… Hazel said earlier that children of Hades could do that. I guess it makes sense because Hades is the god of riches and the Underworld, but I never thought Nico of all people could do that. I would have pegged him to get the Underworld powers and Hazel for the riches. Oh well, life’s full of surprises.

Wait… did he make all of the crystals in this cave? That would make sense as to why no one knows about this place. I looked around the cave again. This place was incredible! Only one way to find out if he really had done all this…

“Nico?” I turned to him.

“Hm?” He was utterly focused on stringing some shining amber colored crystal beads onto a length of golden wire.

“Did… Did you do all this?” I asked. 

“I don’t know.” Well, that was a puzzling answer. 

“How can you not know?” I gently probed.

‘‘Just don’t. Like I don’t know the girl who came up to me earlier and was talking about ‘Solangalo’.” He continued twisting the wire and stringing beads onto it. It was beginning to take the shape of a small sun.

That sounded a little like the old Nico. I wonder if he’ll be back to his normal self soon? Nico suddenly put down the mostly finished sun with a clink. 

“Are you alright Nico?” I asked, concerned. 

“Uhhh…” Nico groaned and collapsed. I quickly rushed over to where he lay, and placed a hand on his forehead to scan for any wounds or sickness. I didn’t find anything! He just lay there, seemingly unconscious, or asleep. I picked up his small body, and went to leave the cave. I had to get him back to camp! When I came to the juncture in the tunnels, the lights in the other tunnel had gone out, and I didn’t hear any voices. No matter, we’d investigate tomorrow. 

Once I was back at camp, I stopped. Should I take him to the infirmary or just to his cabin? He didn’t seem sick, and Hazel said that he’d collapsed when Lady Hebe initially changed him. I made up my mind, and hurried off to the Hades cabin. 


End file.
